Bell, who was Boeing's CFO from 2003 to 2012, is on the board of several other companies, including JPMorgan Chase & Co and Dow Chemical Co.

He also served as Boeing's interim chief executive for several months in 2005 after the aircraft maker fired CEO Harry Stonecipher over his personal relationship with a female executive of the company.

Apple's 8-member board includes Walt Disney Co CEO Robert Iger and former United States Vice President Albert Gore Jr.

Bell's appointment to Apple's board is the first since Gap Inc's former CEO Millard Drexler retired in March.

Susan Wagner, founding partner and director of asset manager BlackRock Inc, was the last to join Apple's board, in July 2014.

(Reporting by Kshitiz Goliya in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)

Stocks treated in this article : Boeing Co, Walt Disney Co, Apple Inc., BlackRock, Inc., Gap Inc